Landscapes and Landforms of Austria

This book intends to identify and publicize the unique features of Austrian geomorphology. In a country which stretches from the core of the European Alps to the Hungarian plain there is huge variety of landforms and landscapes. This book reveals that variety. Part 1 sets the context of the Austrian landscape as a whole. Part 2 is the core of the volume and comprises a careful selection of the most outstanding landscapes in Austria. Each of the chapters results from detailed research conducted by an author over many years. Austria's landscapes are especially attractive because of the great variety of topographic slopes, geologic foundations and the special landscape legacy from the Quaternary period. Glacial and Karst landscapes dominate, but there are superb examples of granite weathering landscapes and geologically recent volcanism. Part 3 is the editor's original and creative contribution. It emphasizes the importance of geomorphology as a natural resource. Tourism relies upon geomorphology and many national, aesthetic and cultural values are influenced by that geomorphology. The book is lavishly illustrated with about 300 color images and is securely based on scientific scholarship.

Autorentext

Christine Embleton-Hamann is a retired professor in the Department of Geography and Regional Research at the University of Vienna. Her main interest is in alpine environments. Within this field, she focusses on human-environment interactions with research topics like human impact on geomorphic processes, assessment of the scenic quality of landscapes, and geomorphological hazards. A second set of interest concerns the communication of geomorphological knowledge to a broader audience, in the pursuit of which objective she has written a well-received textbook on geomorphology. She is a former president of the Austrian Research Association on Geomorphology and served on the Executive Boards of the IAG and several IAG and IGU Working Groups.

Inhalt

Part 1: Introduction to the Physical Geography of Austria 1 Geological and Tectonic Setting of AustriaRalf Schuster and Kurt Stüwe 2 Geomorphological Landscape Regions of AustriaGerhard K. Lieb and Christine Embleton-Hamann 3 The Imprint of Quaternary Processes on the Austrian LandscapeJürgen M. Reitner 4 River and Valley LandscapesGerhard K. Lieb, Wolfgang Schöner, and Christine Embleton-Hamann 5 Karst Landscapes in AustriaChristian Bauer and Lukas Plan 6 Geomorphic Hazards in AustriaSven Fuchs, Martin Wenk, and Margreth Keiler 7 Geoheritage, Geotourism and Landscape Protection in AustriaHorst J. Ibetsberger and Christine Embleton-Hamann Part 2: Geomorpic Hotspots of High Scenic Quality and/or High Scientific Interest 8 Granite Tors of the Waldviertel Region in Lower AustriaPiotr Migon, Aleksandra Michniewicz, and Milena Rózycka 9 Deeply Incised Valley Meanders of the Bohemian MassifRonald E. Pöppl, Reinhard Roetzel, and Doris Riedl 10 Wachau World Heritage Site: A Diverse Riverine LandscapeDoris Riedl, Reinhard Roetzel, Ronald E. Pöppl, and Tobias Sprafke 11 Sunken Roads and Palaeosols in Loess Areas in Lower Austria - Landform Development and Cultural ImportanceHelene Petschko, Tobias Sprafke, Robert Peticzka, and Heinz Wiesbauer 12 The Danube Floodplain National Park - A Fluvial Landscape with Expiration Date?Severin Hohensinner and Ronald E. Pöppl 13 Lake Neusiedl Area: A Particular Lakescape at the Boundary between Alps and Pannonian BasinErich Draganits, Michael Weißl, András Zámolyi, and Michael Doneus 14 Quaternary Landforms and Sediments in the Northern Alpine Foreland of Salzburg and Upper AustriaJohannes T. Weidinger, Horst J. Ibetsberger, and Joachim Götz 15 The Walgau - a Landscape Shaped by LandslidesStefan Steger, Elmar Schmaltz, Arie C. Seijmonsbergen, and Thomas Glade 16 Fluvial Geomorphology and River Restoration: Tiroler Lech Nature ParkMartin Mergili and Ruginia Duffy 17 The World Heritage Site Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut - a Fascinating Geomorphological Field LaboratoryJohannes T. Weidinger and Joachim Götz 18 Gesäuse - River Gorge, Limestone Massifs and Sediment CascadesGerhard K. Lieb and Oliver Sass 19 The Rax Karst Massif - a Typical Plateau of the Northern Calcareous Alps?Christian Bauer and Lukas Plan 20 Montafon - Geodiversity and Human ImpactSven Fuchs, Margreth Keiler, and Martin Wenk 21 Giant "Bergsturz" Landscapes in the TyrolMartin Mergili and Christoph Prager 22 The Upper Ötz Valley - High Mountain Landscape Diversity and Long Research TraditionThomas Geist, Clemens Geitner, and Kati Heinrich 23 The Moraine at Trins and the Alpine LateglacialHanns Kerschner, Susan Ivy-Ochs, and Christian Schlüchter 24 The Krimml Waterfalls in the Hohe Tauern National ParkErich Stocker 25 Großglockner and Pasterze Glacier - Landscape Evolution at Austria's Highest Summit and its Neighbouring Glacier SystemGerhard K. Lieb and Andreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer 26 Gorges and Slots - Three Examples of Geomorphosites in Western CarinthiaErich Stocker 27 Rock Glaciers in the Austrian Alps - A General Overview with a Special Focus on Dösen Rock Glacier, Hohe Tauern RangeAndreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer, Gerhard Lieb, and Viktor Kaufmann 28 The Ore of the Alps UNESCO Global Geopark (Salzburg) - Geosites and Geotourism Horst J. Ibetsberger and Hans Steyrer 29 The Variability and Uniqueness of Cirque Landscapes in the Schladminger TauernChristine Embleton-Hamann and Christian Semmelrock 30 The Erzberg Area: A Mining Landscape in StyriaStefan Premm and Christine Embleton-Hamann31 Dobratsch - Landslides and Karst in Austria's Southernmost Nature ParkGerhard K. Lieb and Christian Bauer 32 Klagenfurt Basin - A Large Basin in the AlpsGerhard K. Lieb 33 Geomorphological Evidence of Past Volcanic Activity in the Southeast of AustriaAndreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer and Ingomar Fritz